6.3 Absolutism - T -

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 2

3. The Time of Regents and Monarchs

6.3. Absolutism

+ disaster hits the Republic

What is this lesson about?

King Louis XIV of France strived for absolute power. In 1672, he formed an alliance with England and two German states to attack the Dutch Republic. Because the army of the Republic was heavily neglected and due to a political struggle between Orangists and anti-Orangists, there was no stadtholder who could lead the army, so the French army easily took over the Republic. William III was made stadtholder in 1672 to lead the Dutch army in battle against France. He would win the war in 1679.

Main Questions

1. What is absolutism?
2. How does mercantilism work?
3. What's the difference between Orangists and anti-orangists?
4. Why was 1672 a "Disaster Year"?

people in this lesson

Colbert

Johan de Witt

Willem III

Michiel de Ruyter

king Louis XIV

Important dates in this lesson:

1650 - 1672: First Stadtholderless Period

1672: Disaster Year

1679: William III wins the war against France

Word Duty

KEY WORDS

Absolutism: a system in which a king has absolute power 

Divine right of kings: claim by an absolute monarch that he is made king to carry out God's will

Mercantilism: an economic system in which a country focuses on its own economy and in which 

export is very important 

import: bring products into the country to be sold

export: send products to other countries to be sold

Orangists: regenten who wanted the Republic to reform into a strict Calvinist monarchy with an Orange as a king

Anti-Orangists: regenten who wanted a strong Republic led by the States General.

First Stadtholderless Period: time period from 1650 to 1672 in which the Republic did not have a stadtholder 

Disaster year: 1672. In this year the Republic was attacked from three sides at the same time

Louis XIV 

After years of ruling together with his chief minister, the French king, Louis XIV, astonished his court in 1661 by declaring that he would from now on rule alone. 

Louis XIV did have a small counsel of high ministers from whom he took advice. He could call or dismiss his ministers at will, listen to their advice or disregard it. When a king has absolute power, we call this absolutism. This meant that Louis took every important decision in France by himself. Louis XIV, as every other king in Europe at that time, believed in the divine right of kings: he claimed that he was made king by God to carry out God's will. During his reign, Louis XIV turned France into a centralised state that was governed from his palace in Versailles.

 

king Louis XIV

Versailles

inside Versailles: the Hall of Mirrors

next slide: watch the animation about the development of Versailles

Louis XIV

• He became king at the age of four.
• He married a Spanish princess who was his first cousin
• He built the extravagant palace of Versailles
• He is known as the Sun King. His best known quote: "The state, that's me!"
• he took away the right of worship from French Protestants
• The American state Louisiana was named in his honor.

Mercantilism

Because of the many wars it waged in the seventeenth century, France was almost at the point of bankruptcy. Louis XIV appointed Jean-Baptist Colbert as controller of financial affairs and ordered him to improve the finances of France. Colbert introduced a new economic system, called mercantilism. He suggested that for a country to become more powerful it must get as much gold and silver as it can. To do this that country must export more than it imports. 

If that is the case the country has a favorable balance of trade and thus makes a profit.

Raw materials (like silver, tobacco, spices) from the colonies (= import) were taxed, so the colonists made less profit and France made more profit.

Then France turned these raw material into products and sold them back to the colonies (= export) with profit. At the same time the colonies were not allowed to turn the raw materials into products themselves. They were forced to send the raw materials to the mother country (France). Colonies were also forbidden to trade raw materials or products with each other. The extra gold and silver France received from its export turned it into a wealthy nation once again.

Watch one or both of the next 2 videos that explain mercantilism....

Colbert

Political struggle in the Republic 

Back in the Netherlands, Maurice, and after him Frederick Henry, tried to make the stadtholdership hereditary in order to reform the Republic into a strict Calvinist monarchy, with an Orange as king. Some regenten in the States General supported this idea. They are known as Orangists. Other regenten were more in favour of a strong Republic led by the States General. This group is known as the Anti-Orangists. 

After Frederick Henry's death in 1647, his son William II was appointed stadtholder but he died soon afterwards of chickenpox.

William II left no heir to succeed him, because his son William III was born eight days after the death of his father. 

The States General decided to do without a stadtholder until William III would be old enough. This idea got a lot of support from grand pensionary and Anti-Orangist Johan de Witt. The period from 1650 until 1672 is known as the First Stadtholderless Period. De Witt even tried to abolish the post of stadtholder completely. He did not succeed. In fact, in 1672 a number of events occurred that required a new strong military leader.

Johan de Witt

In the movie "Michiel de Ruyter", Barry Atsma plays  Johan de Witt and Roeland Fernhout plays his brother Cornelis de Witt. When the two actors heard about the statue of the Witt brothers on the Fishbridge in Dordrecht, the plan was soon made. The actors were in the picture with the statue.

Watch this film clip from the movie: Michiel de Ruyter. You see Johan de Witt (the grand pensionary) giving a speech in the States general.

• note the two factions in the states general:
• orangists (prinsgezinden) and anti-orangists (staatsgezinden)

You get a better understanding of what it all looked like.

Take your notebook and write down:

12 characteristics of the Netherlands in the 17th century:

Copy the characteristics from the film clip.

Disaster strikes for the Republic 

In 1672, the French king started a war against the Dutch Republic. Louis XIV wanted possession of the Spanish Netherlands. He claimed that these areas belonged to him because his wife, daughter of the king of Spain, inherited them. 

Louis had made secret agreements with England and two German states, Cologne and Munster, to join his attack on the Dutch Republic. England had agreed, because it was jealous of the Republic's successful trade and wealth. 

So when Louis XIV started the war, the English attacked the Republic at sea. 

At the same time the French army and the armies of the German states invaded the Republic. The Republic was not prepared for this kind of war. At sea the Republic was very strong. Admiral Michiel de Ruyter defeated the English fleet, preventing the English army invading the Republic. So after a year, England was forced to withdraw from the war. The Republic’s land defences, however, were not good. The French army was able to invade and control parts of the Republic in no time. 1672 is known as the Disaster Year ('Rampjaar'), because the Republic was attacked from three sides at the same time.

 

Top: French troops invade the Republic

Source

Presentation of the cruelties committed by the French troops in the Dutch villages Bodegraven and Zwammerdam, at the end of December 1672. The inscription is carried in the air by personifications of the war and the French cruelty. Left to the burning village of Zwammerdam with the pickup bridge. In the foreground rapes, tortures and murder parties.

The need for a stadtholder 

As the French army advanced, panic broke out in the Republic. People called out for a stadtholder to lead them against the French invasion. The Orangists in Holland and Zeeland seized this opportunity to convince the regenten of the Provincial States to appoint William III as stadtholder. It made Johan de Witt realise that he could not maintain his position as grand pensionary. His resignation did not satisfy the Orangists however. When Johan came to visit his brother Cornelis in prison, both brothers were murdered and their bodies were mutilated by a group of Orangists. 

William III proved a successful military leader and the war with France ended in 1679. The war had a big impact on the Republic's economy. This resulted into the decline of the Republic as a powerful country.

 

Willem III of Orange

source

Link to find out more about this painting and the brutal murder of the brothers de Witt.

https://historiek.net/schilderij-moord-gebroeders-de-witt-nog-gruwelijker/17980/

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